My kids 7 and 5 just finished watching me play Uncharted 3 and now I am thinking they would like to watch me play something else. I was thinking Batman Arkham City or Mass Effect 3. I haven't played either of them but have played the first games in each series.

Batman is darker but at the same time Batman doesn't kill which is a good message. He also doesn't use guns which is perhaps a bit better.

However Mass Effect 3 allows the player to make moral choices which is good.

My kids 7 and 5 just finished watching me play Uncharted 3 and now I am thinking they would like to watch me play something else. I was thinking Batman Arkham City or Mass Effect 3. I haven't played either of them but have played the first games in each series.

Batman is darker but at the same time Batman doesn't kill which is a good message. He also doesn't use guns which is perhaps a bit better.

However Mass Effect 3 allows the player to make moral choices which is good.

So which game do you think would be better?

Thanks,

5 and 7? You're far more liberal that me. My kids won't be watching either of those games at that age.

Rating Summary: This is an action-adventure game featuring characters from the Batman franchise. Players assume the role of Batman as he investigates Arkham City, a neighborhood overrun by psychopathic criminals and former prison inmates. As players explore the city and infiltrate hideouts, they punch and kick criminals in melee-style combat, using various gadgets (e.g., explosive gel, smoke pellets, a grappling gun) to defend themselves against gun-wielding thugs and villains. The frenetic combat is highlighted by cries of pain, punching sounds, realistic gunfire, and slow-motion effects. In some sequences, players must solve puzzles or use stealth to incapacitate enemies and free hostages; when players fail a challenge, the hostage will lose his life. Some environments contain bloodstains on the floor or furniture; other cutscenes depict spots of blood on injured characters. During the course of the game, some female characters are dressed in form-fitting outfits that expose large amounts of cleavage; one background sign depicts the silhouette of a woman and the words “Live Nude.” The dialogue also contains some suggestive references (e.g., “The anger, the frustration, the hints of repressed sexual tension” and “Sure could go for some porn right now.”). One sequence depicts a character smoking a cigar, and there are various references to alcohol (e.g., “She got a little drunk and killed her classmates,” “I'd give anything for a nice cold beer right now.”). The words “b*tch,” “a*s,” and “bastard” can be heard in dialogue.

Rating Summary: This is an action role-playing game in which players assume the role of a space commander attempting to save humanity from a galaxy-wide threat. As players interact with myriad characters (e.g., developing alliances and relationships), they use machine guns, shotguns, assault rifles, and futuristic weapons to kill humans and alien creatures in frenetic combat. Enemies sometimes emit splashes of blood when hit; some sequences depict bloodstained characters or environments. Cutscenes depict other instances of violence: an alien shooting herself in the head with a pistol; a character getting impaled by a creature's claws. As the game progresses, the storyline sometimes references sexual material (e.g., “When this is over, I'm getting laid” and “Were oil and lubricants involved? Was there moaning?”). Players can also initiate brief romantic encounters between characters: dialogue choices are made, leading to kissing and caressing on a bed—sexual activity is implied. In one of these sequences, an alien character's buttocks and breasts are briefly depicted. The words “f**k,” “sh*t,” and “a*shole” can be heard in dialogue.

IMO that kind of gaming happens after the kids are tucked into bed. My youngest turns 9 on Monday, the most violence he sees in video games is Minecraft. Phin and Ferb, Adventure Time (only just recently) and KFP. My Goldfish is Evil and a little Spongebob (though his mom hates spongebob so that's in short supply).

In fact, while I'm not going to tell you what to do, the ESRB does provide those for a reason. I personally strongly object to kids being exposed to that type of media at an early age. My exes boyfriend had my oldest watching Halo and Battlefront at 4. "It's ok, he's not PLAYING it!" Like him pressing buttons is what I'm concerned with!

The other aspect is that even though you control the conversation path, by no means do you know what's happening next, so you could expose your kid to frightening content with no prior knowledge. It is completely unnecessary. My 2c.

« Last Edit: August 16, 2013, 10:57:28 PM by Purge »

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"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners." - Johnny Carson

I was at a game store about 10 weeks ago, where a 9 year old was selecting a game. He chose DNF, and when I mentioned to his dad that the game might contain content that isn't age appropriate and asked if he knew what was in the game, he replied with "nah, he plays all the games."

I thought to myself (as it wasn't my kid, and I already spoke up) "Wow. When you take him to the movie store does he pick whatever he wants too? Even the movies behind the beaded curtain?"

Video games make horrible babysitters - and reading stories is more personal, more interactive, and will sit with a kid longer than any game will.

Now *that* is the end of my 2c. Promise.

« Last Edit: August 16, 2013, 11:02:24 PM by Purge »

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"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners." - Johnny Carson

We started playing Ratchet and Clank. It is probably better. I think the reason I was thinking of the two I originally posted about was because the have Wii U versions and it has been sitting unloved since we finished Lego City Undercover. I can't wait for Wind Waker... But u guess I have too.

Yeah, I know *I* felt disturbed at some of the dialogue in Batman, and I grew up with a father who let me watch Full Metal Jacket with him when I was 12 Just simple things, like overhearing some thugs talk about how they put a captured police officer in acid or a burning tank or something, and how he screamed. It's really a dark world, which makes it even more amazing that Batman doesn't kill. Awesome game though.